Rate & Review: "Barting Over" (EABF05) [Archive]

Sam

02-16-2003, 05:31 PM

Barting Over

Pros

Butterfinger
Lawyer names
Appearance of old lawyer guy (it isn't as good as Hutz would be...but it's still an improvement).
Really structured plot, with character motivations and main plot staying the same (no twists)
Homer, in the 3rd act, was somewhat a jerkass, but had alot of funny lines ("I like to make up words too", "i could save money by buying peanuts and mixing them after" and him smoking a pipe was quite funny)
Good use of guests. Not obnoxious, and didn't have any lame jokes.
Lots of funnier lines ("Dude" "302")

Cons

Judge harm sucks (exept for the "crawfish in a gumbo shack" line)
Jerkass Homer in the courtroom.

It was highly above my expectations. 4/5.

(Beep)

Drayken II

02-16-2003, 05:31 PM

2/5 It sucked, but had FEW good points.

doyle

02-16-2003, 05:31 PM

BARTING OVER
Chalkboard Gag- didn’t like it
Couch Gag- decent

Act I
Good: Walter Chroncite
Marge & Homer Get Dirty
Bart eating Butterfinger
Homer hanging Bart out window
Lawyer’s secretary wasn’t a bad one
Bart in old character
Bad: there wasn’t anything that comes to min
Grade: A

Act II
Good: Bart pulling pockets out of doll as evidence
mmmmmmmmmm…garnish
Bart’s Indian burn
Bad: Homer saying why you little over and over
Jerkass Homer with the crying included
Homer getting electrocuted
Guest Stars
Grade: B

Act III
Good: Cletus
Homeless Guy
Skateboard that does all the work
Homers commercial
Homers grave
Bad: Barts nipple piercings
Homer challenging Tony Hawk
Meta reference
Matrix parody (too much resembling a cartoon)
The word penis appearing on the show
Grade: C+
Overall Grade: B+
Not bad

defrocked

02-16-2003, 05:32 PM

3/5 Same ol', same ol'

America: Fuck Yea!

02-16-2003, 05:32 PM

horrible...this is the worst of the season...

2/5

Moleman...Hans

02-16-2003, 05:33 PM

As expected it sucked. Pointless guest stars AHOY! Best thing in it was that 302 quote. 2.5/5

Act 1 3/5 Total 3/5
Act 2 2/5 Total or 2.5/5
Act 3 2/5 Total 2.5/5

Butterfinger gag was great though. It also has a wierd and funny chalk gag.

Hans Barber

02-16-2003, 05:33 PM

it was ok, i didnt really expect much. 2\5. overrated ALREADY in my opinion. the best joke was the 300\302 one. hopefully the next one will be better.

Stackhouse

02-16-2003, 05:33 PM

Originally posted by dondelinger
BARTING OVER

Matrix parody (too much resembling a cartoon)

Not bad

Actually, the 'Matrix Parody' was a parody of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', where everyone fights in the air.

Mafia

02-16-2003, 05:34 PM

4/5
wrote this while watching.
big shock for me.
Hmm... why did it say 300th episode under The Simpsons title.

Pros:
First two acts were pretty good. I felt some emotion in there. Some good jokes. Third act wasn't that good. It was okay... I liked the Micheal Jackson/baby joke with Homer.

Butterfinger reference was great.

Bart destroys chalkboard.

"Emancipated? You don't want to be a dude anymore?"

Psycho music

Abe in the home scene.

baby swap. Cletus's cousin, Diabete returns

"QUIET! I'm trying to sell drugs."

"I'll by a suit... of drugs."

Vegas wife reference

Judge Harm still hates Homer... I loved the Death to Homer picture. Reminded me of the poster to Death To Smoochy.

302 reference saved the 300 reference.

The commercial Homer was in.

Some of the cons: (others will help)

Blink182 and Tony Hawk took a bit away.

Blink182 was COMPLETELY USELESS!!!!

Andy

02-16-2003, 05:34 PM

Eh, very so-so. Judge Harm was funny, but it was just too guest-star hypey. Also, Marge's 302 reference was a good 'ohsnap' to Lisa's 300th joke. Heh, Fox doesn't even know what it's doing anymore... everybody knows but Fox. Still, it had some funny gags and a good performance by that Evil Lawyer. Nice.

Discokev

02-16-2003, 05:34 PM

4/5 Same Old simpsons

doyle

02-16-2003, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by ~Christmas Ape~

Actually, the 'Matrix Parody' was a parody of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', where everyone fights in the air. thats right. now i remember. my mistake.

Incognito, Guy

02-16-2003, 05:36 PM

As someone who hasn't really laughed at an episode of the Simpson's in a long time, I have to say I enjoyed this one. Except for the jerkass crying, the collar grab (Lovejoy did it last week), and the Marge/bum on the street crap, it was pretty good.

Eddie

02-16-2003, 05:36 PM

It was fairly good. The first act was hilarious, and it was quite entertaining. But the idea of Bart being emancipated was sort of stupid. I think it would have been better if he had just ran away from home, or something. blink-182 guest starring was really not worth it. They were in it for like, five seconds! Tony Hawk was fairly funny, though. The final act was sort of bland. All in all, it was okay. 3/5.

Matty

02-16-2003, 05:36 PM

I thought it was quite an excellent showing, my favourite part was when Homer went crying on the street and the cut shows all the traffic signs around him at night

8/10

ShadowBun

02-16-2003, 05:39 PM

Pretty funny stuff, nothing milestone-like though.

I liked the new take on the chalkboard gag, the furbies, Homer dangling Bart (and then in reverse), the Butterfinger, the Viagra commercial ("What'd he say about my scalp?"), and Bart Sad. 4/5

Mafia

02-16-2003, 05:41 PM

hmm.... i thought most of homer's screaming wasn't jerkass... being that most of his screaming was because he lost his son who he loves, and he realizes that he screwed up his relationship. I thought it was more emotion than jerkass... as... i thought Homer was well characterized once again. Although, I'm Spelling is having real potential for jerkass Homer right now.

Voodoo Monkey

02-16-2003, 05:43 PM

4/5

302 joke and Wacko Jacko parody were gold.

Matty

02-16-2003, 05:45 PM

Originally posted by Mafia
Although, I'm Spelling is having real potential for jerkass Homer right now.

Nope... at least as sweet as in Barting Over ;)

Plus, in Spelling as fast... Barney returns to being an alcoholist again

Hans Barber

02-16-2003, 05:49 PM

barneys relapse. thank god. this episode, spelling, is def. better so far.

FlexMasterFunk

02-16-2003, 05:54 PM

I give this 300th episode a 3/5

I liked the chalkboard gag... about time that damn chalkboard got whats coming to it...
the couch gag was ok... nothing special, but cute...

The other things that pop into my mind from the ep...

The Wayne's World, "we are not worthy" gag was pretty funny.
The dirty video joke seemed kinda lame, but they needed some reason for Bart and Lisa to watch old movies, i guess.
The butterfingers thing was ok, and when Maggie was singing about Bart being the Baby Stinky Breath (or whatever) I thought that was adorable.
Perfect Strangers was funny.
The baby dangling thing was funny.
The IV / Catheder thing with grampa was pretty funny.
Pretty good throwback to the Vegas wife.
The Cletus stuff was kind of funny...
Although Tony Hawk didn't captivate me that much, I did think it was funny when he said, "you're going down... then up... then down... then up again..."

I didn't like the following : furbys attacking maggie, the EhWhAA! joke by the lawyer, the collar pull, Martin's whole scene, and I didn't like the magic skateboard and the board battle at the end... too reminisent of Lisa's Tap Shoes from that episode which I don't remember the name...

Overall, not as bad as I thought, but not as good as I hoped...

Gagnonsux

02-16-2003, 05:55 PM

Pretty good episode, but nothing I would deem worthy of being a milestone. The jokes were pretty much on and there wasn't too much to groin about, but the plot felt rushed and lacked emotion. I like the use of Tony Hawk to make fun of skateboardings popular status these days, but Blink 182 was highly worthless. Slightly above average fore this season, but nothin' to rock my world. 3.5/5

Mr. Plow

02-16-2003, 06:01 PM

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Nice 300 joke by Lisa and Marge, which got a good laugh for true Simpsons fans. 3/5.

HellBender

02-16-2003, 06:01 PM

One of the most average episode this year. 30 minutes after watching the episode I barely remember any good joke (Except the 302 gag, very nice meta-reference). The emotion in the 2nd act was a nice touch... but unfortunately they got rid of it in the 3rd act. 3/5

Tomacco

02-16-2003, 06:02 PM

A very solid showing! The episode actually flowed, had some emotion, never went off track, and had a lot of successful jokes! A few duds, but overall it really felt Simpsony! More detailed review soon.

4.5/5

"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" was right on too!

Mafia

02-16-2003, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by Matty

Nope... at least as sweet as in Barting Over ;)

Plus, in Spelling as fast... Barney returns to being an alcoholist again

Yeah.. Homer was much better in I'm Spelling than I thought.

Mafia

02-16-2003, 06:04 PM

NoOneFamous

02-16-2003, 06:04 PM

First off, this had a really forced storyline. We know Homer isn't a great father, and we know Bart and him don't always get along! Give it a rest! There wasn't anything particularly funny either, Homer was an annoying jackass, and Tony Hawk and Blink 182 were pointless "Look at me! I'm on the Simpsons to increase my popularity and gain ratings for them" style guest stars(although I'm glad Blink 182 only got a few seconds of air time). In other words, it was the typical, overproduced, hyper/wacky episode these days.

If the episode had stuck with the Bart away from home/feud with Homer idea, it would have been decent, but as soon as those elevator doors opened, it immediately switched to a Homer-centric/celebrity-driven wacky episode that almost completely strayed from the original idea. They even had Hawk point that out in the end - "The point was to be nice to your son, not impress him!" or something like that.

I can't help but think that the whole point of the 3rd act was to make the show even more "hip", with trendy guest stars that especially appeal to 12 year old boys. And, since the 12 year old boys are watching, lets throw in tons of the annoying jackass version of Homer they love soo much.

Just like "Strong Arms of the Ma", this was decent until the 3rd act, when it just turned too surreal and wacky. The 3rd act is really the most important act of the show, and when they blow it, it really hurts the entire episode.

2/5, or a D+

1completeidiot

02-16-2003, 06:05 PM

i liked the episode. butterfinger joke was great. tony hawk was ok. blink 182 is my main problem, they served no point at all and were just worthless.

4/5.

Token

02-16-2003, 06:06 PM

3.5/5

I thought it was slightly above average. Nothing too great. What in the fuck was the point of Blink 182 anyway? They did jack shit and wasted 20 seconds of my time. e.e

Toxic Monkey

02-16-2003, 06:06 PM

1st act was pure awesomeness. Best ep of season. I felt like it deserved to be a season 9 episode. Awesome ep, 5/5 for me. =D

Simpson Purist

02-16-2003, 06:07 PM

7.5/10

Pros
-Butterfinger meta-ref
-Chalkboard gag
-Crouching Tiger inspired skateboard climax
-Casablanca homage
-Old Nelson laughing on Homer's grave

Cons
-Ending is somewhat forced

Milhouse Van Houten

02-16-2003, 06:08 PM

2.5/5 it was just "ok" the micheal jackson spoof, butterfinger comercial refrence and marge saying "Hmm I coul have sworn it was 302" where the only reasons it didnt get a one. Im spelling as fast as I cam was WAYYY better.

Stina

02-16-2003, 06:11 PM

5/5 ^_^ I really enjoyed this episode, especially the ending.

brentholomew

02-16-2003, 06:13 PM

It was a decent episode. Someof the jokes were really good:

The Butterfinger gag and the 302 gag were made me laugh out loud.

3/5

Warren

02-16-2003, 06:17 PM

4/5

Very good,watchable episode.

defrocked

02-16-2003, 06:23 PM

The Casablanca parody was very well done.

Datoupee

02-16-2003, 06:23 PM

5/5 from me....as always. This episode was great.

Handsome Pete

02-16-2003, 06:24 PM

Now, if you're all wondering, I didn't like this episode one bit. I won't codemn it entirely, though. Why? Well, believe it or not, I thought the plot was actually good. Really. I thought it made enough sense, and was well structured and had a good pace to it. I especially liked it when Bart was in his loft, thinking about his family and how he missed them. That, to me, was good manipulation of emotion, and was also good storytelling.

If the episode were based upon those things alone, it would be a good one. However, the jokes were TERRIBLE. Lisa summoning that one demon with the book, Homer and Tony Hawk fighting on the boards like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (c'mon, you could tell!), Homer and Marge getting "dirty"...ugh. And I really didn't like how the guest stars were used, especially Tony Hawk. I mean, they refered to him as "skateboarding legend Tony Hawk", or at least something like that, and when I heard Bart say that particular phrase, I shuddered. The two obvious meta-references (the Butterfinger one and the 300th episode thing) were just awful. There were a few saving graces, such as Milhouse's "cuddling" with that one toy dog, but those were few and spaced far apart.

Overall, a very lousy episode. Definitely not the worse the Simpsons has had to offer, but still not good. 2/5. At least "I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can" put any bad taste from this one out of my mouth.

By the way, when Hawk was going down the set of ramps for the very first time, the episode jumped from that to Homer talking to Hawk (before they dueled). Does anyone know what happened between those two events, or was it just nothing at all to worry about?

Oh yes, I noticed they were adding references from other various forms of entertainment again (the Casablanca one, for example). Even though I thought they didn't really fit in, at least they're trying to add things like this.

Mike Scully

02-16-2003, 06:27 PM

*grumble* I'm the only person so far who's voted 1/5, but I really couldn't stand this forced, empty, utterly pointless, guest-star-studded storyline. Other than fun pop culture references in the first act (Butterfinger, Michael Jackson's baby-dangling) and some OK emotional moments throughout, there was NOTHING worthwhile or Simpsonian about this episode. Grade: D

I'll write more detailed comments later.

Stackhouse

02-16-2003, 06:27 PM

Handsome Pete and Mike Scully , you crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, abused, crazy, crazy, crazy children.

Moleman...Hans

02-16-2003, 06:31 PM

Ape, that episode sucked. The ONLY reasons I didn't give it a 1/5 was the 1st act, the butterfinger thingm, and Marge's 302 comment.

Payne To The Max

02-16-2003, 06:40 PM

I'm surprised no one talked about this joke yet:

"Warning: side-effects may inculude loss of scalp and penis."

Definitely one of the better jokes of The Simpsons.

Overall, I give it a 4/5. True, the blink-182 guest appearance was shitty and pointless. But, I liked the it when they made fun of Bart keeping Tony Hawk not low profile.

Bart: "Tony Hawk! Tony Hawk!"
Milhouse: "Tony Hawk?! Where?!"
Bart: "Shh! Keep it low profile! See ya, Tony Haaaawk!"

^^^Something like that.

Yeah, and the 302 gag was funny, the drug dealers were funny, the Butterfinger reference was funny, the Michael jackson baby-dangling scene was hilarious("See? When I flip the pictures backwards, I'm saaaaving you!"). I laughed when Bart started to strangle Homer with his belt.

VERY good episode.

Stackhouse

02-16-2003, 06:41 PM

I see.. well, it consistantly made me lol and I enjoyed the plot and everything.. and thats why I gave it 5/5. I haven't see Spelling yet (im watching it at 10:30) and by the looks of it it will be better than Barting Over. But I still enjoyed it immensely.

Moose of Doom!

02-16-2003, 06:41 PM

Good-
Blue Haired Lawyer appearence
Meta-Meta-Reference
NO lame "congrats" from celebs as advertised
The funniest chalkboard gag of all time
Good parodies/references/satires

Bad-
Blink 182's cameo (pointless)

Ugly-
Well, since they had EXTREME guests and EXTREME parodies, I guess they just had to have EXTREME jerkass Homer. Even though it was important to the plot, it still felt overdone.

And in-between-
Tony Hawk's cameo. Nice to see that it just wasn't a few lines, it made some sense, gave us some laughs, and added to the plot.

Questions:
Spoiler sites said Homer spent it naming a star after the family, but then it went supernova. Cut out for time maybe?

The 300th WoS playset concepts at Toy Fair showed Skinner on boxer shorts. Another thing cut out?

huh?

02-16-2003, 06:42 PM

There was pretty good jokes with the couch gag and the Butterfingers. It was good and had its moments in the first two acts, but in the end it just became surreal and the ending was rushed. 3/5

NoOneFamous

02-16-2003, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by Handsome Pete
And I really didn't like how the guest stars were used, especially Tony Hawk. I mean, they refered to him as "skateboarding legend Tony Hawk",

I know what you mean, I really hate this. You can already tell the whole point of the episode was the hype of the guest stars, but then they have to push it further by practically advertising their name. How many times did Bart shout Tony Hawk's name? I'm surprised they didn't say "Hey look! Its hugely popular alternative pop punk rock band, Blink 182!!!" when they appeared.

Oh yeah, after a second viewing of "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", I hate it even more. Its nothing but 23 minutes of hype for the guest stars.

Tomacco

02-16-2003, 06:45 PM

What's this about jerkass Homer?
I thought he was characterized well in this one! The angry side of him was shown, as well as his loving and sensitive side.

By the way, I loved the Martin tatoo joke. That was a quality gag!

Simpson Purist

02-16-2003, 06:48 PM

I also thought Homer was handled rather well in a I Am Furious (Yellow)-type of anger. His "Why you little..."'s in the courtroom were very funny. This isn't the Jerkass Homer we saw in Pray Anything.

Mafia

02-16-2003, 06:49 PM

i agree with tomacco.

what is with people proud of the blue hair lawyer (evil lawyer) returning? He was in Pray Anything, no? He is used several times a season (more now that Phil is gone).

henry

02-16-2003, 06:53 PM

4/5.

I thought it was pretty damned good.

Very Little Blink = Better.

thecapecoddah

02-16-2003, 06:53 PM

3/5 to 3.5/5, a couple very strong acts to begin the episode but too many wacky moments in the 3rd one plus a tacked on ending. Blink wasn't even needed...

But there were several gags which made me laugh/chuckle, unlike some Simpsons episodes in recent seasons. Average to slightly above average in regards to the other Season 14 eps.

JDub

02-16-2003, 06:56 PM

Wow I thought that episode was great, yet so many think it sucked or was just ok. If you want to watch an episode that sucked then you should have (and probably did) watch the episode after the 300th.

Citizen Kang

02-16-2003, 07:01 PM

4/5

Good Episode. A lot better than I thought it be.

skittlebrau

02-16-2003, 07:11 PM

Could this be the end of the chalkboard gag!? Why else would Bart take an axe to it?

This episode was great. Not too great to get a 4/5, but better than a 3/5, so inbetween 3/5 and 4/5. Good characterizations, good jokes, yadda, yadda, yadda, and it actually came out better than I'd hoped for since I thought it'd be some guest star filled episode. Tony Hawk was decent as a guest star, but they did mention him a bit too much, which was annoying. Blink 182 on screen for about 5 seconds, great. I would've liked 'em to never have been on The Simpsons at all since they suck cellulite-filled ass, but a very short guest spot is good enough for me.

"I'm Spelling..." was better, though.

DotheBartman

02-16-2003, 07:14 PM

Well, here we go again....

This episode, in its first two acts, wasn't BAD per se. There were some good isolated jokes here and there (the courtroom doll joke was priceless, as was the Butterfinger thing...I admit it, a meta ref that's actually not painful to see). But, as usual, I just wasn't that engaged. The really good jokes themselves were too far and few between, with some duds in between, and, while Bart's development was decent in the second act (I actually STARTED to feel for the kid), overall I just didn't feel that engaged.

And then it fell apart.

Starting with the last minute or two of the second act, I just about wanted to change the channel through the rest of the episode. Tony Hawk's appearance was WAY overdone, and the Blink 182 appearance was equally pathetic. Plus, the "emotion" was suddenly washed away for crap about Homer and Hawk in a skateboard battle and a bunch of "funny" jokes. I dare say I barely chuckled at ANY of the gags in the last act.

An at first decent but boring episode that completely falls apart.
Grade: D

Lard Lad Donuts

02-16-2003, 07:23 PM

I loved it! Best one this season!

Bob Underdunk T

02-16-2003, 07:24 PM

4/5
The only thing I'll add is that the one thing that ruined Tony's part was Bart saying "Are you skateboarding legend Tony Hawk?" instead of just "Are you Tony Hawk?" I can't remember if those were his exact words, but it was something close, and it felt like a Scully-era guest spot. It made the whole thing way too fake.

Thrillhouse24

02-16-2003, 07:24 PM

it was awesome for a new episode 5/5 i thought it was pretty funny liek the butterfinger joke and the its 300 mom i could have sworn it was 302. good episode and it had tony hawk and blink except blink suck.

Tibor

02-16-2003, 07:29 PM

A solid show, with gags that worked. I was genuinely worried about it, but it was nice, despite the guest star fluff. Jerkass Homer? I didn't think so. Loved the self-references, and the baby dangling was funny. It just felt Simpsony, despite flaws.

Did I say flaws? Yes, shoehorned guest appearances, Blink 182 moreso than Tony Hawk (so why is he in Springfield?), and the silly skateboarding thing were downers on the last couple of acts, but I still walk away with a good feeling.

Urts

02-16-2003, 07:38 PM

I absolutely loved the first act. The family were all in character, the jokes really worked, and the surrealism was kept in a believable and funny context. The butterfinger and "Perfect Strangers" gags both got laughs from me.

The second act, however, was nowhere near as excellent. Some jokes worked, but some didn't. The collar-pull and shrieking gags simply weren't needed. Blink 182's appearance was pointless, but thankfully short.

The third act was even worse. Although it had some quality jokes(302, Martin's tatoo), it was still brought down by Homer's skateboard fighting and some lame jokes.

Rating: 3.5/5

Mr. Plow

02-16-2003, 07:42 PM

There was no real point to letting Blink 182 guest star on the show. They each had one line, and that was it. Hawk had a good amount of time on the episode, and was overall pretty funny. The first act was really strong, but the second and third didn't hold up to what could of been a solid 5/5 episode. It still had some good laughs, and after 302 episodes, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Blue Phoenix

02-16-2003, 07:44 PM

3/5

Nothing to add that hasn't been said.

Simpson Purist

02-16-2003, 07:44 PM

I'm kind-of surprised everyone loved Marge's 302 gag, I mean it was funny, but I've seen better meta-references than this. This isn't any better than Comic Book Guy wearing a "Worst Episode Ever" t-shirt during Saddlesore Galactica (an episode many fans agree with CBG's opinion).

DotheBartman

02-16-2003, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Well, here we go again....

This episode, in its first two acts, wasn't BAD per se. There were some good isolated jokes here and there (the courtroom doll joke was priceless, as was the Butterfinger thing...I admit it, a meta ref that's actually not painful to see). But, as usual, I just wasn't that engaged. The really good jokes themselves were too far and few between, with some duds in between, and, while Bart's development was decent in the second act (I actually STARTED to feel for the kid), overall I just didn't feel that engaged.

And then it fell apart.

Starting with the last minute or two of the second act, I just about wanted to change the channel through the rest of the episode. Tony Hawk's appearance was WAY overdone, and the Blink 182 appearance was equally pathetic. Plus, the "emotion" was suddenly washed away for crap about Homer and Hawk in a skateboard battle and a bunch of "funny" jokes. I dare say I barely chuckled at ANY of the gags in the last act.

An at first decent but boring episode that completely falls apart.
Grade: D

Edit: Forgot to mention how pathetic the shocking joke was....

Tomacco

02-16-2003, 07:51 PM

Yeah I didn't like the shocking gag much, but I actually just forgot about it until you mentioned it, so overall I can't say it detracted. That was another good thing about both eps tonight. Whenever a joke didn't work for me, it never detracted from the whole ep.

The shocking gag improved when the dummy went on fire.

Handsome Pete

02-16-2003, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by DotheBartman

Edit: Forgot to mention how pathetic the shocking joke was....

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

Originally posted by Simpson Purist

I'm kind-of surprised everyone loved Marge's 302 gag, I mean it was funny, but I've seen better meta-references than this.

I know how you feel. Myself, I didn't think it was that great...okay, but not great. After all, it was more of a poke at fans like us and nothing else...and I didn't think Marge's delivery was all that great.

|RABiD|

02-16-2003, 07:52 PM

Thumbs up episode! Not as good as spelling but close! Blink 182 was useless but Tony Hawk was good. 4/5

I Am Lion-O

02-16-2003, 07:56 PM

I missed the chalkboard/couch gag but it was pretty good otherwise. half of you were too critical.

ILikeTheSimpsons

02-16-2003, 07:56 PM

The last 5 episodes have been 4 or 5/5 for me, this one was 4/5. The jokes were great, the plot was great, the characterization was great..only bad thing was the guest stars, but it didn't really take away that much. (and it seems like I'm the only blink fan here...*Hides in corner*)

HellBender

02-16-2003, 08:02 PM

Actually I liked the shocking gag... well, it got a lot funnier when Marge said something like: "I wish he would've done that with the real Bart"

DotheBartman

02-16-2003, 08:15 PM

Regarding the shocking thing again: I guess I'd agree with Hell Bender that the actual pay off (Marge's comment) was good, but Homer getting shocked was painful to see, especcially after all the crappily overdone injuries I've had to sit through every week. I guess a smaller injury (maybe he trips and falls, then the doll falls over and rips in half, with Homer then crying a little) would've been better.

And the 302 gag: I found the joke itself to be lame, but the payoff itself was at least pretty good (Marge mentioning the real number...hmm...two good Marge payoffs). Again, I would've preferred a better setup.

w00bi

02-16-2003, 08:19 PM

best part of episode THE BUTTERFINGER BIT :D THE COMMERCIAL :D :LOL:

but the whole tony hawk and blink 182 was just stupid. No point to the blink thing. Tony i guess was ok but blink=pointless

davidshirt

02-16-2003, 08:29 PM

It was a decent episode. It's just the fact that the writers really don't make Bart act as a kid anymore. I mean sure he has his toys and stuff, but if you forget his age in the cartoon you'd think Bart was supposed to be an 18 year old or something.

Sultan of Seltzer

02-16-2003, 08:39 PM

this episode had a great milhouse moment and the cletus stuff was great. i liked the butterfinger gag and a few others. overall i didnt really like the plot even though there were some good laughs. 3/5

Frank Grimes Jr.

02-16-2003, 08:40 PM

I think it was excellent, not 5/5, but still very funny

I liked the chalkboard scene...I don't remember them ever doing anything different like that...

Stinkbreath was funny, but I saw it coming
Butterfingers was funny
The Furbies was hilarious!!

I loved the part where the Blue haired lawyer used a doll of bart and pulled his pockets out

I think they over-did the Tony Hawk thing...and I didn't really get his business card, does he have special powers or something?

lisa's counter with 300 on it was tacky, it looked dumb in all the commercials they showed it in and it was like they just needed something to reference the 300 and just stuck it in there....kind of awkward

I would have liked to see a bigger couch opening, like the 138th spectacular...this one was kind of disappointing

ShadowBun

02-16-2003, 08:42 PM

"Side effects may include loss of scalp and penis."

Normally, I hate when they use that word on the show, but this line killed me! It was hilarious, said remarkably fast like on all those medicinal commercials, and Homer's line afterwards was great.

I think the doll/shock/fire gag worked well too, for two reasons:
-Marge's line about Bart while the doll caught fire was perfect comedic timing.
-The perspective of the scene (Marge and Lisa in the foreground, Homer through the window) made it so much funnier. Think about it...almost all through-the-window scenes in the Simpsons are hilarious, because the in-the-background effect adds a layer of subtlety. If Homer's hand caught fire in the foreground, it wouldn't have been nearly as funny. See also "I Am Furious (Yellow)".

Tibor

02-16-2003, 08:48 PM

Good point, when I first saw it, I said 'oh, they're gonna groan about that", though it didn't bother me much, but when it went to the Marge and Lisa perspective, it was gold. Also, the dummy scene was reminiscient of "Barbershop Quartet", in a good way.

Jason

02-16-2003, 08:58 PM

3/5. An ok episode, liked Bart eating the butterfinger, and the Michael Jackson spoof.

|RABiD|

02-16-2003, 09:03 PM

What was the michael jackson spoof?

Andy

02-16-2003, 09:04 PM

Homer said he spent the commercial money on hiding 'incriminating evidence'... said evidence being photos of Homer dangling baby Bart over a balcony, a la Michael Jackson dangling his child over a balcony (Jacko didn't drop his kid though).

homer5000

02-16-2003, 09:20 PM

This episode GOOOOOOOD! And, for those who have never seen "That's My Bush" before (the failed Comedy Central sitcom), that means I liked it. I thought the parodies were top-notch, from Michael Jackson to Matrix to Bart and Butterfingers! I didn't like the nipple-piercing though...

4/5

Channel Surfer

02-16-2003, 09:26 PM

My Somewhat Brief Review (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-157827/blockid-79455/)

I voted 3/5, or a C+, with it being somewhere around "The Great Louse Detective" Quality. I didn't care much for the plotline (derivative of "Burn's Heir" and "Bart vs. Thanksgiving") and I hated the guest star usage. But most of the jokes timed in the first two acts, and the 3rd act wasn't awful (just a bit rambly with Tony Hawk/Homer battle). Entertaining, but with too many problems to be in the B range.

Jake

02-16-2003, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by Channel Surfer
My Somewhat Brief Review (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-157827/blockid-79455/)

I voted 3/5, or a C+, with it being somewhere around "The Great Louse Detective" Quality. I didn't care much for the plotline (derivative of "Burn's Heir" and "Bart vs. Thanksgiving") and I hated the guest star usage. But most of the jokes timed in the first two acts, and the 3rd act wasn't awful (just a bit rambly with Tony Hawk/Homer battle). Entertaining, but with too many problems to be in the B range.

You basically said what I felt, so I won't repeat you.

Grade: C+

Jake

Brian S.

02-16-2003, 11:06 PM

I thought it was a great episode.

My favourite parts: Bart strangling Homer with Homer's belt. The 300/302 joke. The Butterfinger joke. The Michael Jackson joke. The fight scene between Tony Hawk and Homer.

I'll give it a 5/5, it made me laugh several times.

blotto

02-16-2003, 11:54 PM

of all the replies i read, NoOneFamous had the best case, i think.
homer hanging his head over a tumbler o' liquor was a pretty subduing sight. did anybody notice that the baby from the 300th episode was in the next one, too?

blotto

02-16-2003, 11:55 PM

mmmmm... garnish....

|RABiD|

02-16-2003, 11:55 PM

Originally posted by blotto
did anybody notice that the baby from the 300th episode was in the next one, too?

Yes, we already established that a couple posts above you.

EDIT: oops...i mean in the other review thread for ISAFAIC

kupomog

02-17-2003, 12:02 AM

4/5

Funny episode. Had me laughing in each act. They pulled off a bunch of great jokes and the guest appearances didn't suck as much as I expected them to.

Anti-Everything

02-17-2003, 12:18 AM

2/5, once again, a terrible episode. tony hawk and blink 182? what the hell?
simpsons writing staff: "i have an idea, this is such a huge episode of a series that doesn't need to rely on guest stars to be the greatest sitcom of all time, so let's find the pop-culture icons of 4 years ago and have them guest star and only have them throw out 5 or so lines that don't work at all".

the plot was M-E-Hish at best, and there were so many forced bits in it...the whole tony hawk skateboard challenge thing couldn't have been dumber, especially the skateboard duel in midair. the lawyer calling to his hawaiian secretary was awful, and the michael jackson joke was forced. good things: lawyer names and "nothng to worry, murder is illegal in this state".

*Waylon Smithers*

02-17-2003, 12:19 AM

5/5 Very, very good :)

necrulez

02-17-2003, 01:05 AM

well...got nothing really to say what hasn't been said before, very nice episode, but a stupid ending. 4/5

Robbie

02-17-2003, 05:55 AM

What was the Butterfinger bit? I don't remember it from the episode.

Wavy Gravy

02-17-2003, 06:14 AM

This was a very solid episode, one much better than I expected. Lisa's opening dream was funny, as was the cleaning out the garage scene. The Baby Stinkbreath setup and Homer's incriminating pictures were good too. The courtroom scene was alright (nice reference to DABF01, "Brawl in the Family") and seeing Bart living in his loft was cool too. Tony Hawk didn't take too much out of the episode (if anything) and Blink-182's guest spot didn't make much difference. The skateboarding scene was excellent (I was rolling at the 302 line). All in all, I can see why they chose this episode to be the 300th over EABF04. A good 4/5.

WWE

02-17-2003, 06:57 AM

What a terrible piece of crap. The episode was hardly funny. Bart moves away, not funny stuff happens and then the show is over? I hated Tony Hawk in it, giving Homer a board that does the tricks without effort. I was disappointed how the writers thought that bringing B182 and Tony Hawk in will make a good episode, I think they just through together an episode and used the guest stars as fill-in entertainment. No parts in that episode made me laugh. Cletus and the sugar, Nelson biking into a tree... It just wasnt my type of episode.

|RABiD|

02-17-2003, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by Robbie
What was the Butterfinger bit? I don't remember it from the episode.

When Bart and Lisa are watching "Bart's Ad" and Bart says "I don't remember being in any commercials!" and then he takes out a butterfinger and bites it.

Maddog53

02-17-2003, 11:38 AM

Well, I actually gave this episode a 4/5. It just worked for me. I agree, I thought that Blink-182 was a complete waste of time. They had no business even being in the episode. I didn't like how Bart had to continually say Tony Hawk's name. However I found myself laughing a bunch of times so I'm going to stick by what I gave it.

By the way, can anyone explain the Chalkboard Gag to me, I didn't understand it at all.

Maddog.

Tibor

02-17-2003, 11:59 AM

1) They wanted to do something special for the "300th" episode.

2) It was an injoke with the writers over their frustration with coming up with new chalkboard gags.

3) It's a not so injoke about Bart's frustration of having to write on the blackboard every week for 15 years.

TheRabidmoose

02-17-2003, 12:08 PM

If only...I could actually picture Lionel Hutz as Bart's lawyer when he wants to be emancipated.

I liked this episode a lot, but I had some minor problems with it. I didn't like the Tony Hawk/Homer fight, the homeless person near Bart's apartment and the collar pulling gag (once again!) in the court room.

I thought Blink's apperance was meh but I liked their line, "We have names you know?" Hehehe, that was great. All in all I think around a 3.5/5.

Mike Scully

02-17-2003, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by Simpson Purist
I'm kind-of surprised everyone loved Marge's 302 gag, I mean it was funny, but I've seen better meta-references than this. This isn't any better than Comic Book Guy wearing a "Worst Episode Ever" t-shirt during Saddlesore Galactica (an episode many fans agree with CBG's opinion).

I liked that gag, mainly because it gave me a feeling of satisfaction of understanding a joke that 99% of the viewers wouldn't catch, since very few people know that this is really the 302nd episode. And, unlike some meta-references, it wasn't self-degrading.

I'm just curious how they knew this would be the 302nd episode way beforehand, when this episode was still being written/animated. I'm guessing that now with digital animation, they can add scenes a lot quicker, and at the last minute.

ashleysimpson

02-17-2003, 01:11 PM

You guys are so harsh! I thought this was a great episode, especially for the past few seasons. Cuddling with that toy puppy was one of the greatest Milhouse moments of all time. Does anyone remember the dogs name?

The Micheal Jackson baby?
Mmmmmmmm . . .garnish?
Be quiet, I'm trying to sell drugs?
Ok, I'll even lift you onto the board?
:LOL:

Come on! don't let the total suckiness of Blink 182 ruin a soon to be classic episode.

Maddog53

02-17-2003, 01:39 PM

Originally posted by Tibor
1) They wanted to do something special for the "300th" episode.

2) It was an injoke with the writers over their frustration with coming up with new chalkboard gags.

3) It's a not so injoke about Bart's frustration of having to write on the blackboard every week for 15 years.

Thanks for clearing that up. I guess I just didn't find it all that funny. I was actually hoping that they would continue the Chalkboard gag in Spelling... but alas they didn't. Oh well.

Maddog.

Stackhouse

02-17-2003, 01:46 PM

I noticed that all the EABFs (except for Pray Anything, but that was a one-time only writer) have been outstanding- for sure better than the best of Season 10, 11 and 12. Does anyone agree?

NoOneFamous

02-17-2003, 01:59 PM

Oh, I have 2 small points to add:

A lot of you are complaining that Blink 182's appearance was pointless, but had it been anything more, you all would have complained that the episode was based on them. I thought their brief appearance was fine, it was Tony's that annoyed me.

Also, WHY did the Malcom In the Middle mom judge have to appear again? I hate her! Bring back the fat black judge, whatever his name is.

tim_duncan2000

02-17-2003, 02:07 PM

How did anyone give that crap a good review? I don't even know where to begin with all the things I hated about this episode.

Here goes:
- Homer covering his ears and going "la-la-la-la-la" was an awful joke
- The courtroom scene was so stupid.
- The Butterfinger reference has already been used, and I don't like meta-references like that.
- Homer crying in the street (apparently for hours) and then the "Man Sobbing" sign was lame.
- Tony Hawk's appearance was your typical gratuitous "hey look at me" celebrity appearance.
- Homer watching Bart on the webcam was stupid and it was not done very well.
- The baby/bag of sugar joke was incredibly unfunny.
- The piercing joke and Marge screaming like Homer did not seem like something from the Simpsons
- Homer being able to skate and seeing how he did it so effortlessly was painful to watch, as was the Matrix-like fighting between Homer and Tony Hawk.
- The "loss of penis" warning at the end of Homer's commercial seemed like a joke for immature 10-year-olds.

People may flame me for this, but, in terms of most bad/lame jokes packed into one episode, this ranks pretty high up with Seasons 11-12 worst offerings. There were a couple of sort of funny things, but nothing that really made me laugh much. 1/5

Channel Surfer

02-17-2003, 02:41 PM

Originally posted by ~Christmas Ape~
I noticed that all the EABFs (except for Pray Anything, but that was a one-time only writer) have been outstanding- for sure better than the best of Season 10, 11 and 12. Does anyone agree?

As a whole, this season has been better then 10, 11, and 12. But it's been worse then 13, and about equal to 9 though.

But as for the best of season 14 vs. the best of seasons 10-12 (and 13), here's how I'd rank them.

"Little Girl in the Big Ten" A
"Lisa Gets an A" A
"Trilogy of Error" A
"Special Edna" B+
"Behind the Laughter" B+

One thing that's bugged me about this season is how I haven't felt comfortable giving a single episode an A, or a 5/5 (season 9 has 2 As, season 13 has 3). Perhaps this season will be a late bloomer, but every episode has been flawed in too serious a way to be allegeable for an A, and the only other season I had that problem with was season 11.

But I've been enjoying this season, which is more then I can say for season 11.

Mike Scully

02-17-2003, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Oh, I have 2 small points to add:

A lot of you are complaining that Blink 182's appearance was pointless, but had it been anything more, you all would have complained that the episode was based on them. I thought their brief appearance was fine, it was Tony's that annoyed me.

Blink 182 just should have never guest-starred in the first place.

*grumble*

mintjellyonthelam

02-17-2003, 03:24 PM

I agree, I found it WONDERFUL Blink 182 had only a few lines because they couldn't ruin it

3.5
Great bits followed by bad jokes then good, etc.

Mike Scully

02-17-2003, 04:30 PM

Originally posted by ~Christmas Ape~
Handsome Pete and Mike Scully , you crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, abused, crazy, crazy, crazy children.

Well, I haven't watched this episode a second time yet, but in retrospect, I don't really hate the episode but just found it very pointless, and had a hard time remembering anything interesting about it afterwards. My grade for Barting Over is now a C-, which means that I actually did find it funny and enjoyable at times. I laughed at a number of well-done pop-culture jokes and references, and one-liners (Judge Harm drawing Homer, the Casablanca reference, Homer's graveyard, the reference to Michael Jackson's baby-dangling). The characters acted in-character and realistic. And the plot was fairly believable. So it wasn't a sucky episode.

But beyond that, nothing about the episode really got me. There was nothing satirical about the storyline. Despite some emotional scenes, there wasn't much character-driven humor and I didn't care what was happening. Tony Hawk's appearance was all sorts of lame. And when an episode ends with such a cornball climax like the skateboarding contest, it just makes the whole episode meaningless to me.

Don't think I'm just complaining for the sake of complaining. I really liked almost every episode from last season. I have no problem if people liked Barting Over, but I just didn't laugh much or care much about it.

Handsome Pete

02-17-2003, 04:47 PM

What Mike Scully said. Personally, I also found it hard to remember much from this episode. In fact, when I was writing up my mini-review of it, I had to get some help from some other people because, frankly, I couldn't remember any examples of what I wanted to tell all of you.

You can like the episode all you want; I just didn't find it all that great myself.

homer5000

02-17-2003, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by Handsome Pete
What Mike Scully said. Personally, I also found it hard to remember much from this episode. In fact, when I was writing up my mini-review of it, I had to get some help from some other people because, frankly, I couldn't remember any examples of what I wanted to tell all of you.

You can like the episode all you want; I just didn't find it all that great myself.

Me too. I hardly remember much from both two episodes because the VCR (we only have one that actually tapes) was taping "The Music Man" for my mom and sister, and my dad was taping "American Dreams" on our TiVo, so I couldn't rewatch them. Same goes for another, "Bart Vs. Lisa Vs. The Third Grade", but I get to watch that again this Sunday! Whoo-hoo!...

NoOneFamous

02-17-2003, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by Mike Scully

Blink 182 just should have never guest-starred in the first place.

*grumble*

Yeah... but at least they were somewhat appropriate for the scene (basically just playing in the background and muttering something), and only had a few lines. Also, their lines were OK, and self-parodying. Unlike, say, Britney Spear's apperance, which was basically "look! Here I am, randomly!", and N*Sync's, which wasn't too long, but can be summed up by "Look! Its N*Sync!"

Blinky 3 nutz

02-17-2003, 05:16 PM

first britney then justin now blink, they will put on almost any pop star these days. gone are the days of Troy and Kent. R.I.P. Phil Hartmen show hasnt been the same since u left

DotheBartman

02-17-2003, 06:26 PM

Originally posted by Handsome Pete
What Mike Scully said. Personally, I also found it hard to remember much from this episode. In fact, when I was writing up my mini-review of it, I had to get some help from some other people because, frankly, I couldn't remember any examples of what I wanted to tell all of you.

I hear ya. These days I have a hard time remembering things from most episodes, because most of them are really dull and bland these days. Its not so much that there's offensively bad stuff (though Strong Arms, Large Marge, and Pray Anything did have some good examples...), but mroe that none of it grabs me, to the extent that only minutes later I have a hard time recalling any of the episode for my reviews.

Gabbo

02-17-2003, 06:36 PM

i thought the 302 joke was the best. Making fun of themselves. Ingenious

NoOneFamous

02-17-2003, 08:08 PM

Review - SECOND VIEWING! Dee duh duuuuuhhh

You know what? In a lot of cases, re-watching an episode makes me like it a lot more. Not always, but that was the case for me with Barting Over. The first half of the episode was some really good stuff.. great jokes, and this time around I actually bought the Bart/Homer feud. It didn't seem so forced this time, even if its a cliche' plot for The Simpsons (Homer and Bart fighting). Before I thought that Tony Hawk and the skateboarding ending killed the episode, but it actually wasn't that bad. Their battle in mid-air was amusing - it was surreal and wacky, but more classic style Simpsons wackiness, and even with the surrealness of the skating fest thing, it didn't feel too out of place, what with the bullies beating up Martin and all. The plot stayed pretty focused, too.

So, I'm rasing my grade to a 3.5/5, and I close with saying

"You're going DOWN Homer! Then up, then down, and then back up again! Thats how the game is played!"

Ismaeal Naji

02-17-2003, 08:36 PM

Funtastic, Ten years too late, but nonetheless it was a really really good episode
:angry:

Scotchtoberfest

02-17-2003, 11:19 PM

It was a good episode, I enjoyed it, because I always enjoy the Simpsons. It is the best thing on television, and if you're going to complain about it, you might as well go watch something else. At any rate, I was very glad that Blink 182 were not prominently featured in the show. I was afraid that the show might revolve around them. (And I hate Blink 182). The only thing that really bothered me was the Judge. I hate her.

StrideR

02-18-2003, 11:12 AM

Well, it wasn't the worst thing I had to endure this week (The Joe Millionaire "fairy tale" ending hit the low point for the week... on Monday). The whole plot was semi-believable, though I doubt any judge who would emancipate a 10 year old child from its parents would be allowed to remain on the bar.

OFF topic: From the synopsis I read... somewhere, Homer was supposed to have spent the money on naming a star after The Simpsons. What happened to that plotline?

It suddenly occurs to me that Bart has become quite different from the sly, street-smart, oft-subdued kid we knew so well way back when.

I thought the skateboard battle scene was closer to Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It didn't have the gracefulness to be considered a parody of the latter.

I actually think it's funnier to parody a celebrity than to have him/her/them guest star.

Originally posted by Channel Surfer
As a whole, this season has been... about equal to 9 though.

Er... no.

As a 22 minute presentation of Animated Comedy: 6/10
As a 22 minute presentation of The Simpsons: 3.5/10

NoOneFamous

02-18-2003, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by FarScapeR
OFF topic: From the synopsis I read... somewhere, Homer was supposed to have spent the money on naming a star after The Simpsons. What happened to that plotline?

Michael Jackson holding the baby over the ledge happened not too long ago, so they probably recently changed it, because they're all for making fun of current events now, even though stuff like this will be outdated within a year or 2. ;-/

brancely

02-18-2003, 01:19 PM

Originally posted by Gabbo
i thought the 302 joke was the best. Making fun of themselves. Ingenious
not very bright, eh?

they do so many meta-humor jokes nowadays that they're just not funny anymore, know what i mean? i don't watch to hear them make fun of fox, i watch in hopes that they'll revert to the way they were 10 years ago

Gabbo

02-18-2003, 01:25 PM

oh yah your cool

brancely

02-18-2003, 01:41 PM

extremely

Channel Surfer

02-18-2003, 07:22 PM

Originally posted by FarScapeR
Er... no.

Er...yes.

Season 9 is currently better by a hair ("Lisa's Sax" and "Treehouse of Horror 8" really help it out"), but consistent problematic characterizations and sometimes boring storylines bring this season down quite a bit. Not to mention some really abyssal episodes like "The Principle and the Pauper", "All Singing, All Dancing", and "Lard of the Dance" too, IMO.

Of course, if "Lard of the Dance" isn't part of season 9, then I agree with you.

StrideR

02-18-2003, 08:08 PM

I'd still argue that the average ep in season 9 still had a slight edge over season 14 eps, in terms of pacing, voice-acting and style, even in an "abyssmal" ep like "The Principal and the Pauper," which erred mainly on the side of character erosion/violation.

You can throw "All Singing, All Dancing" into any season and it'd still be crap.

Mike Scully

02-18-2003, 11:35 PM

Urath28

02-19-2003, 06:20 AM

The episode was good, but not great. I would give it a 3/5.

NB: It wasn't really the 300th episode see

brancely

02-19-2003, 03:45 PM

where have you been? of course it wasn't number 300, that's been known for quite a while

Channel Surfer

02-19-2003, 08:09 PM

Originally posted by FarScapeR
I'd still argue that the average ep in season 9 still had a slight edge over season 14 eps, in terms of pacing, voice-acting and style, even in an "abyssmal" ep like "The Principal and the Pauper," which erred mainly on the side of character erosion/violation.

You can throw "All Singing, All Dancing" into any season and it'd still be crap.

Originally posted by Mike Scully

I thought The Principal and the Pauper failed in many other aspects besides the character continuity issue: the story felt like a bad soap-opera, there was a mean-spirited and unbelievable ending, and about 4 or 5 attempted jokes in the whole thing.

Overall, though, I'd say season 9 is way better than season 14, and nothing from this season comes close to matching the quality of Natural Born Kissers and Lisa's Sax. This season is closer to seassons 11-12, minus the most abysmal episodes from that era.

I didn't expect this much of a response from an otherwise innocent comment. I guess I can compare the two grades wise with my standard lists. Consider a D- as a point value of 1, to an A+ with a point value of 12, and everything else in-between (A = 11, A- = 10, so on). All ratios are conducted with the bottom number being the amount of episodes multiplied by 12, reduced. (I'm pretty serious about defending my statement, if you can't already tell :LOL: )

Edit: Upon relooking onto this post, I realized the "ratios" might be a bit confusing and/or misleading. I've substituted them with standard averages.

Season 9:

"Lisa's Sax" A
"Treehouse of Horror VIII" A
"Natural Born Kissers" B+
"The Cartridge Family" B+
"Lisa the Simpson" B+
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" B+
"Bart Star" B+
"King of the Hill" B
"The Last Temptation of Krust" B
"Simpson Tide" B
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" B-
"Lost Our Lisa" B-
"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" B-
"Lisa the Skeptic" C+
"Das Bus" C+
"The Trouble with Trillions" C+
"Girly Edition" C+
"Trash of the Titans" C+
"Bart Carny" C
"This Little Wiggy" C
"Realty Bites" C
"Dumbbell Indemnity" C
"The Joy of Sect" C-
"Lard of the Dance" D+
"The Principal and the Pauper" D
"All Singing, All Dancing" D-

Total 172 points out of 26 episodes, or a 6.6 or a low B-

Season 14:

"Special Edna" B+
"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" B
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" B
"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" B-
"Strong Arms of the Ma" B-
"The Dad Who Knew Too Little" C+
"Barting Over" C+
"The Great Louse Detectives" C+
"Large Marge" C
"Pray Anything" C-
"Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" C-
"Helter Shelter" D

Total 72 out of 12 episodes, or a 6, or a mid C+

Season 9: B-
Season 14: C+

Even with all the high grades in season 9, the bad characterizations in many episodes and a few shoddy episodes really bring the season down, putting it on an even playing field with season 14. Again, it is better. But only by a hair.

jagrmeister

02-19-2003, 08:35 PM

Although I've panned almost every episode this year and last, "Barting Over" was well done. Homer angrily eyeing Bart then ducking out of the way, Judge Harm drawing Homer being hung, and orange cones being put around Homer when he was crying. I have gotten to the point where I watch The Simpsons and laugh sarcastically at the show's unfunny gags as a way of getting out my disgust. I was prepared to do the same but this episode won me over.

StrideR

02-19-2003, 08:51 PM

Season 9:

"Lisa's Sax" A
"Treehouse of Horror VIII" A
"Natural Born Kissers" B+
"The Cartridge Family" B+
"Lisa the Simpson" B+
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" B+
"Bart Star" B+
"King of the Hill" B
"The Last Temptation of Krust" B
"Simpson Tide" B
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" B-
"Lost Our Lisa" B-
"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" B-
"Lisa the Skeptic" C+
"Das Bus" C+
"The Trouble with Trillions" C+
"Girly Edition" C+
"Trash of the Titans" C+
"Bart Carny" C
"This Little Wiggy" C
"Realty Bites" C
"Dumbbell Indemnity" C
"The Joy of Sect" C-
"Lard of the Dance" D+
"The Principal and the Pauper" D
"All Singing, All Dancing" D-

Total 172/312 or 43/78

Season 14:

"Special Edna" B+
"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" B
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" B
"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" B-
"Strong Arms of the Ma" B-
"The Dad Who Knew Too Little" C+
"Barting Over" C+
"The Great Louse Detectives" C+
"Large Marge" C
"Pray Anything" C-
"Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" C-
"Helter Shelter" D

Hmmm... OK my A-F rating system is a bit fuzzy, so I was slightly confused at first. Now, I more or less agree with the way you've arranged the episodes in descending order, save for one or 2 eps. However, from my standpoint, your scale for season 14 is slightly more forgiving than the one from season 9.

I can't speak for "Special Edna," so I'll skip that one. Let's take a look at "The Principal and the Pauper" and "Helter Shelter." Granted, these are 2 episodes that are disliked by many, but I think it's unfair to put "Principal..." and "Helter Shelter" in the same grade.The same applies for "Dumbell Indemnity"/"Bart vs Lisa vs The Third Grade," "Joy of Sect"/"Large Marge" and just about every season 9/season 14 grade comparison in your list.

Tomacco

02-20-2003, 11:19 AM

I'll list what episodes this season have been better than eps from season 9:

"Large Marge" better than:
- The Principal and the Pauper
- Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
- All Singing, All Dancing
- Bart Carny
- Dumbbell Idemnity
- The Trouble With Trillions
- King of the Hill

"Special Edna" better than:
- The Principal and the Pauper
- Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
- All Singing, All Dancing
- Bart Carny
- Last Temptation of Krust
- Dumbbell Idemnity
- The Trouble With Trillions
- King of the Hill
- Girly Edition
- Trash of the Titans
- Lost Our Lisa
- Natural Born Kissers (overrated)

"Barting Over" better than:
- The Principal and the Pauper
- Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
- All Singing, All Dancing
- Bart Carny
- Last Temptation of Krust (on par with)
- Dumbbell Idemnity
- The Trouble With Trillions
- King of the Hill (on par with)
- Girly Edition (on par with)
- Trash of the Titans (on par with, actually)
- Lost Our Lisa
- Natural Born Kissers

"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" better than:
- The Principal and the Pauper
- Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
- All Singing, All Dancing
- Bart Carny
- Last Temptation of Krust (on par with)
- Dumbbell Idemnity
- The Trouble With Trillions
- King of the Hill
- Girly Edition
- Trash of the Titans
- Lost Our Lisa
- Natural Born Kissers

So, this should give you an idea of where I place season 14 compared to season 9. The S14 eps I listed above were what I thought the best so far, by the way.

Mafia

02-20-2003, 12:29 PM

i think season 9 is better than season 13/14... but probably because i wasn't expecting a decline yet. Everything felt normal and a little acceptable. I'd say 13 came real close, if not tied 9, imo. 14, while better than 10, 11, 12 (imo), is behind 13.

I do go lighter on Season 13 and 14 episodes, though.

Mike Scully

02-20-2003, 12:43 PM

Seasons 9 and 13 are the only acceptable ones from the recent seasons.

Channel Surfer

02-21-2003, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by FarScapeR
Hmmm... OK my A-F rating system is a bit fuzzy, so I was slightly confused at first. Now, I more or less agree with the way you've arranged the episodes in descending order, save for one or 2 eps. However, from my standpoint, your scale for season 14 is slightly more forgiving than the one from season 9.

I can't speak for "Special Edna," so I'll skip that one. Let's take a look at "The Principal and the Pauper" and "Helter Shelter." Granted, these are 2 episodes that are disliked by many, but I think it's unfair to put "Principal..." and "Helter Shelter" in the same grade.The same applies for "Dumbell Indemnity"/"Bart vs Lisa vs The Third Grade," "Joy of Sect"/"Large Marge" and just about every season 9/season 14 grade comparison in your list.

I hope you don't mind the lateness of the reply.

Anyway, I think I've been pretty fair to both seasons. While season 9 is admittingly better paced with sharper satire, it also had the pointlessly unlikable characterizations ("Trash of the Titans", "Lisa the Skeptic"), though I'll admit it was fine on occasion, depending on the context (Homer in "The Cartridge Family" and "Bart Star" for example).

As for the individual episodes you pointed out:

"The Joy of Sect" - I really don't like this episode, excluding a few near classic moments (Mr. Burns as the golden god, for example). This episode follows the philosophy of "Helter Shelter" of sticking the Simpson Family into an awful situation to inflict as much pain as possible upon them (mental here, physical in "Shelter"), and that kind of humor doesn't connect with me very well. There isn't much character here, as Homer, Bart, and Lisa all get assimilated into the "cult", the kids in particular in very cheap ways (Bart through the 'lil' bastard brainwashing kit, Lisa simply because she's grade obsessive). I'll concede this makes way for the great Marge escape, but it doesn't make the stuff before it (and some after it) any more watchable to me.

Some could argue that this episode was a potent satire on cults/sects with the many stereotypes associated with it (the "barn", UFO, bean picking). Then again, one could argue the same for "Helter Shelter" with reality TV. Doesn't make either one much better.

And hence, why I put it on the same grading bracket as "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the 3rd Grade", which was nothing more then a rambling, superficial gimmick. Neither appeal to me, but have some redeemable moments to pick them out of the D range.

"Dumbell Indemnity" - To put it nicely, this episode is among the most forgettable of all time. Moe's girlfriend isn't interesting, the jokes are only worth chuckles, and the plot isn't really compelling. With "Large Marge", the premise was certainly more interesting, but for an episode about breast implants, it was very bland, and I didn't care for the way the subplot merged (Stampy's return). But neither of these episodes I hate (like with C-s and below), but they aren't interesting, and hence fall into the same grade bracket.

"The Principle and the Pauper" - It's like "Dumbell Indemnity" with even fewer jokes (and less that work), an annoying premise, and an awful ending. I'll concede "Helter Shelter" had a worse 2nd and 3rd act, but at least I enjoyed its beginning, something I couldn't say for "The Principle and the Pauper". In the end, they're about equally crappy.

Season 9 is still better though, all things considered. But if season 14 doesn't hit any more major slumps (no more "Helter Shelters"), then the season should equal out (or possibly beat out) season 9.

George Cauldron

04-20-2003, 02:27 PM

This episode just aired in Britain as part of the 300th episode celebrations. When is the Simpsons 300th episode not the 300th episode? Whenever it's shown apparently. 302 in the USA, and 303 in the UK, having shown A Star Is Born Again prior to this episode. But if you take away The Cartridge Family, it's also the 302nd episode on SKY.

It was a decent enough episode, plenty of humorous moments, already explained by the other posters. I thought the guest stars would really ruin the episode, but Blink-182 only had a few lines, and Tony Hawk wasn't too bad. The skateboarding scenes were a bit silly, but I understand it was a parody. I still can't really understand the idea of Homer wanting to skateboard, but explaining that he wanted to win Bart back sort of gave it more meaning.

My analysis: 4/5.